Red Light, Green Light
by LeighAidan
Summary: AU. When Richard is on the verge of deportation, Raven needs a reason to stay in Jump City, and the two meet unexpectedly, a plan is formed. All is well until the US government, a serial killer, the unknown past, and feelings get in the way. HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

"_People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built." - Eleanor Roosevelt _

Chapter 1

Every eye in the room was watching her as she sauntered past. She was a figure that demanded authority, even at her height of 5-foot-4. Her icy demeanor and aplomb composure left many in awe and many others intimidated. Yes, Raven Roth was a force to be reckoned with. The sound of her heels clicking against the spotless tile echoed throughout the waiting room as she approached the front desk with more grace than a prima ballerina.

Inside, however, Raven was a nervous wreck. She could feel her fingernails making crescent moon shapes in the palms of her hands. Desperately hoping to regain control she breathed in and out slowly, focusing on calming her irregular breathing pattern. Consciously forcing herself to unclench her tight fists, she instantly tugged at the hem of her black pencil skirt. After brushing away all the invisible lent on her shirt, Raven took a deep breath and stepped up flush to the counter and patiently waited for the woman behind it to finish her phone call. Just a few seconds later, though it seemed like an eternity, the woman placed the phone on the receiver and looked up at Raven with kind eyes.

"Welcome to Jump City General Hospital. How may I help you?" she asked in a motherly voice. Raven glanced at the nametag pinned to the woman's crisp white shirt.

"Hello, Ms. Bridges, my name is Raven Roth," Raven began after clearing her throat. She reached into her purse and pulled out a black folder. It slid across the countertop smoothly. As Ms. Bridges flipped through the folder, Raven spoke up once more, annoyed at her current insecurities. "Today is my first day. I hope I'm not late," she uttered quietly, grimacing at the memory of the traffic and questionable areas her oh-so-reliable GPS had decided was the best and quickest route to the hospital. Noticing her uncomfortable expression, Ms. Bridges handed the young woman her folder and shifted herself to make eye contact with her - the poor dear was so young. Once she locked her hazel eyes with the young woman's amethyst gems, she smiled warmly and gave her the gentlest look she could.

"You're right on time. Come, I will take you back there so you can get acquainted with everyone. Stacy," she announced, motioning to a young blonde girl who was assumingly an intern at the hospital. "Could you be a dear and watch the front desk for me while I introduce our new surgeon to her office and fellow employees?"

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Raven followed Ms. Bridges down the white hallway, in the elevator, and up to the sixth floor of the large hospital. At last they arrived at a spacey and relaxing room, otherwise known as the employee lounge. Their presence was unnoticed until Ms. Bridges cleared her throat loudly. The room was silenced and Raven, once again, found herself self-conscious of all the eyes watching her. Satisfied she had everyone's attention, Ms. Bridges motioned to Raven and introduced her.

"Everyone, this is Raven Roth," she informed. As soon as the words left her mouth, an extremely tall and beautiful woman stepped forward. Her long black hair was in a high ponytail, on her face were large, thick, black-rimmed glasses, and she was dressed in a white lab coat that went down to her knees and light blue scrubs.

"Hello, Miss Roth, my name is Diana Prince[1] and I am the Surgeon-in-Chief here at Jump City General Hospital," the woman greeted, extending her hand. Raven grasped her hand firmly and found herself even more nervous than she was just a few minutes ago. Here was the woman in charge; better make a good impression.

"Hello, Dr. Prince, it is a pleasure to meet you," Raven spoke calmly, reminding herself to breath. Diana smiled at her and Raven couldn't help but feel slightly better.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well. Would you please accompany me to my office?" she questioned, turning and walking, refusing to take no for an answer…not that Raven was in any position to decline. Giving a wave of thanks to Ms. Bridges, Raven followed the Amazon-like woman just a few doors down to her office. Raven furnished the black folder with all of her information to Diana after they had each taken a seat. While Diana flipped through the material Raven did her best to not feel like a child in the principal's office. Finally, after several minutes of silence, Diana closed the folder and looked at Raven with her blue eyes. "Well, Miss Roth, I must say I am very impressed. You were accepted to Columbia University[2] on a full-ride scholarship and graduated at the top of your class. Not many people can do that," Diana praised. Raven let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. "You have completed your residency training in your hometown of Blüdhaven, New York and you plan to complete your fellowship training in the trauma department[3] here in Jump City, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am," Raven affirmed. Diana once again smiled at her.

"Well, I am very honored to have you on our medical team. I am certain that you will be just fine and will do very well in your training. You will be in the emergency area under the supervision of Dr. Jones," she explained. Suddenly, a beeper emitted a strident noise and Diana quickly stood up. "I do hate to leave but I am scheduled for a vascular surgery on the eighth floor in ten minutes. Let me go find one of our nurses to give you a tour of the facility." Diana walked out of the room and returned just a minute later with a tall redhead behind her. "Miss Roth, this is one of our nursing assistants, Miss Kori Anders. She would be delighted to give you a tour. Again I am terribly sorry for this abrupt departure, but duty calls. It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Roth, and I will check in to see how you are adjusting." Before Raven could reply, Diana was already gone. Raven smiled slightly, pleased that the head surgeon of the hospital seemed to like her. She stood up and found herself face to face with the nursing assistant, Kori. The girl was tall, about 5-foot-11 and thin like a model. She had long, red hair that reached the base of her back, green eyes bright as emeralds, and a smile that could light up the world.

"Hello, Miss Roth! My name is Kori Anders," the girl began, bubbly and cheerful. "I am a nursing assistant located in the emergency sector of the hospital. I would be more than happy to give you a tour," she stated genuinely and Raven couldn't help but feel happier just being around the girl.

"That would be wonderful, Miss Anders," Raven said, offering the girl a small smile. Kori laughed and it was airy and joyful.

"Please just call me Kori. Miss Anders sounds like something my older sister would require people to address her by."

"Well," Raven began, "I will call you Kori - but only if you call me Raven." Kori's smile grew and she extended her tanned hand out. Raven reached out and shook it.

"Deal!" Kori confirmed as she flashed Raven another smile that would make the sun jealous. "Let us begin the tour!"

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The tour of the entire hospital took an hour and a half to complete. Kori was adamant about greeting everyone in all the departments. Raven had met Dr. Hol[4] in the diagnostic and treatment department, Miss Zorel[5] who was interning in the X-ray department, Dr. West[6] in the laboratories, Miss Gage-Radcliffe[7] in the record department, and Dr. Kelly[8] in the discharge center. As they turned a corner, Raven repressed a sigh. Kori was a very sweet girl but Raven didn't know how much more of this she could take.

"…and here is our station!" Kori proclaimed, oblivious to the look of relief that crossed Raven's face. Looking up above her, Raven saw the sign that read 'EMERGENCY' in bold, red print. "Let me take you to Dr. Jones so he can give you your affirmed hours and work schedule." At last they reached Dr. Jones[9] office. Kori knocked on the door and the two waited tolerantly outside. Several minutes later the door opened and startled both woman. In front of them was an African-American man in his mid-forties who radiated intelligence and repose.[10]

"I am sorry to keep you waiting," he spoke in a deep voice. "I was on the telephone setting a meeting with a patient." He looked at Raven and greeted her cordially. "You must be Miss Roth. Please come in. I have your schedule completed and I can answer any questions you may have." They all walked into the office. Raven sat down across from Dr. Jones while Kori stood in the back of the room in hopes of not being a distraction to the others while they discussed the job.

Dr. Jones reached into the top drawer on the left of his desk and pulled out several papers. He plucked the first paper off the pile and passed it to Raven. "This, Miss Roth, is your general schedule for each week. You will work on weekdays only. Your shift begins at one-o-clock Post Meridiem and will end eight hours later at nine-o-clock Post Meridiem. On occasion you may be called in at different times. This is due to changes in schedules or, since you are completing your fellowship training, to observe an emergency we believe could be of beneficial value to your studies. You will be given a nursing assistant to aid you. Since you and Miss Anders seem to be well acquainted and I know she is currently available for the job, she shall be your assistant. Do you have any questions or concerns?" Dr. Jones finished, handing Raven the rest of the papers that consisted of her complete schedule, office numbers of everyone in the hospital, her salary, a hospital calendar, and a map of the hospital.

"No, sir, I have no questions," Raven affirmed.

"Well, Miss Roth, we are all delighted to have you here. Miss Anders shall show you your office and get you all the clothing you will need. After that you may leave if you wish. There is no need for you to start today. Go to your new home and settle in. You have traveled quite a while," Dr. Jones insisted, a tiny smile on his face. "I shall see you Monday. If you have any questions or concerns my door is always open." Raven stood up, preparing to leave.

"Thank you, Dr. Jones," she shook his hand and offered him a small smile in return. She turned and walked out the door, followed by Kori. As the door shut behind them Kori turned to Raven.

"To your office?" she asked. Raven nodded and the two walked just four doors down. Kori opened up the door with a key and Raven observed her new workplace. It was a decent sized room - not too big, but not too small. There was one gray filing cabinet in the left corner, a window on the right wall, a large black and stainless steel desk, a black revolving chair, two black seating chairs, a bookshelf, an examination bed, and a large countertop area with everything a doctor could need.

While Raven walked around and took in her surroundings, Kori went over and to grab Raven's new work clothes. There was a white lab coat that would reach just below her waist, violet colored scrubs, bland white shoes, and a nametag. Once Kori had gathered all of the necessary items, she walked over and gently tapped Raven on the shoulder. "Here are all of your clothing items," Kori explained. "The scrubs and shoes may stay here in your office for you will not need to wear them everyday. Your scrubs are purple because you are only a trainee. Trainees wear these so the doctors are aware of their position and do not accidentally hand over complete control to a trainee. Doctors do occasionally have to leave during a surgery to go to another, more serious, emergency. The only time you will need to wear the scrubs is when you are performing one of the surgeries. Since you are only in training, you will not need them very often; at least not right away. The more you train the more they will let you do so you will probably wear these a lot later on. The white coat and nametag you will need to wear at all times unless you are performing surgery. However, you will need to always be prepared to change into your scrubs. You never know when something may come up."[11]

"Thank you, Kori. You have been wonderful," Raven said honestly. Kori smiled brilliantly and pulled Raven in for a hug. Raven stiffened at the sudden contact but slowly relaxed and lightly hugged her in return.

"You are most welcome, Raven. I am very happy to be your assistant! Maybe you and I could take our lunch together!" Kori exclaimed.

"I would like that very much," Raven said quietly. Secretly she was astonished to be welcomed this warmly. Catching sight of the clock pulled Raven from her thoughts and she quickly collected all of her items. "I should get going. My parents are expecting a call this evening and I haven't even seen my apartment yet." As she walked to the door, she looked back at Kori. "Thank you again, Kori. I too look forward to working with you."

"Oh, Raven, please quit saying thank you! I did nothing. Now go find your home and call your parents. They must be worried if they have not heard from you yet!" Kori ordered. "Travel safely!"

"I will do my best. Goodbye, Kori," Raven said as she departed.

"Goodbye, Raven! I shall see you Monday!"

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Her ride to her apartment went much better than her ride to the hospital. There were no outlandish areas, pointless turns, bad traffic, or sudden recalculations. Jump City, California was a pretty little town on the harbor. It reminded Raven a lot of her hometown Blüdhaven.[12]

The apartment area was in a nice part of town. Across the street was a gas station, a convenience store, and a Dunkin' Donuts. The complex itself was large. It was five stories high and probably held ten rooms on each floor. It was composed of dark red bricks and cream colored vinyl. Everything looked clean and well kept. Out front was a nice garden full of beautiful purples, blues, and whites. Behind the building Raven could hear squeals of laughter followed by multiple splashes. Apparently it had a pool as well.

She walked through the front doors and was pleased with how nice it was inside as well. Clean floors, a lovely paint color, elegant paintings, and gorgeous furniture. Going up to the desk, Raven handed the man her paperwork and her first month's rent. He double checked everything in the computer and gave her the keys to her room on the third floor and a paper full of any further information.

After the bellman had helped her get all of her things to her room, she sat down in one of the chairs, far too tired to observe her room. Today was a very long day. She had gotten up at seven this morning, arrived at the airport at eight, got on the plane at nine, took an almost six hour long flight to California, had to figure out the time change difference, got lost trying to find the hospital, took her two hour long tour with Kori, found her apartment, and brought all of her stuff up to her room.

Sadly, rest was not meant for her. Her cell phone rang loudly and she jumped up to answer it, hoping not to disturb anyone in the rooms next door.

"This is Raven Roth," Raven spoke in greeting.

"Hello, Raven Roth," a familiar voice replied. "This is your mother." Raven smiled, glad to hear her mother's voice again…even though she just heard it this morning at seven.

"Hi, Mom. How are you?" Raven asked, taking her seat once again.

"I'm good. Worried. How was your trip?" Angela asked as any mother would.

"It was decent. There were no complications, but flying is just too much of a hassle. I thought I was going to get strip searched by TSA.[13] They nearly had a heart attack when they found I had a stethoscope in a case. I told them about it before the scanner, they said it was fine, then when it went through the scanner they flipped out and started asking me pointless questions," Raven said. Angela let out a small laugh.

"Well you can't expect much. Security has become very strict in the last decade," she replied. "What about your job? Did you go in today? Meet anyone?"

"Yes, I went to the hospital today. I met our Surgeon-in-Chief, Dr. Prince, my boss Dr. Jones, my assistant Kori Anders, and I briefly met all the other doctors on my tour of the facility. Everyone was very nice. Kori was especially helpful," Raven told her mother, praying that the conversation wouldn't go in the direction it was currently going. There was silence on Angela's end for a moment.

"Do you believe you will like it there?" Angela asked, her voice quiet and somber.

"Well I have only been here for a few hours, but yes, I do believe I will like it here," Raven admitted. Her mother let out an exasperated sigh and it took all Raven had to not go jump out of her third story window.

"I do not understand how you can be happy there and not here," Angela spoke, her voice laced with hurt.

"Mom, please," Raven started. "We are not having this argument again. I've been telling you for years now that I wanted to do something different. I am tired of Blüdhaven. It is crime filled. My work would never be appreciated there and I would never improve my skills there."

"That's not a good enough reason for you to just pack up and leave everything you've ever known behind!" Angela replied, her voice rising. Raven could hear her breathing heavily through the phone. Slowly the breathing began sounding normal again. "Sweetheart, your father and I are scared. We do not understand why you felt it necessary to leave. And of all places to go, you went to the other side of the country!" Raven's pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation.

"What exactly do you want, Mother?" she spoke through gritted teeth.

"I want you to give me one good - and I mean really good - reason you have to work in Jump City," Angela confirmed. Raven groaned and began to speak, only to be interrupted by her mother. "Raven, your father and I love you so much. You are our world. I am going to drop this for now, but I will bring it up again. I would like to understand your decision because right now it has me confused. Right now, however, I am tired and you must be tired. Go to sleep and rest up. I love you," her mother explained, knowing that the conversation was not going anywhere. "Goodnight, dear." Raven sighed and rubbed her temples.

"I love you, too. Goodnight," Raven said and waited for her mother to hang up before closing her phone. She stayed there in the chair, just thinking. Her mother would never think any of her reasons were good enough. She really didn't have a reason, to be perfectly honest. When she was looking for open jobs on the Internet, she accidentally stumbled upon the one in Jump City. When she read the description, she knew it was perfect. But her mother wouldn't understand that.

Groaning, Raven stood up and changed into a comfortable pair of pajamas. Looking down at herself, Raven was glad she had brought a cooler pair than the ones she normally wore back home. California was a completely different climate than New York. Laying down on her bed, Raven cursed the sun that streamed in through the window and cursed herself for choosing to live in a state with a three hour time difference than the one she had lived in her entire life. The words of her mother echoed inside her head. _"I want you to give me one good - and I mean really good - reason you have to work in Jump City." _Holding a pillow over her face, Raven stifled the impulse to scream. Between the sun, time change, and her forever running brain, Raven knew she was in for a long night. 

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AN: Well, that was the longest chapter I have ever written for anything. I didn't intend for it to be this long, but you know how some stories are - they need a lot of explanation if it is going to make sense and this is one of those stories. Anyway, I got this idea while watching _The Proposal. _Trust me though, it is going to be a whole lot different. Every chapter of this story is planned…like everything is planned out. Total chapter (when completed) = 43. 43 freakin' chapters! This is going to take me, like, three years. I am going to really try to get it done in a year. I just need to be diligent and not procrastinate. (I am the queen of procrastination so we will just see how this works out.) I was going to wait to write this, but my story _Prodigal Son _is just too angst-y. So I am using this Romance/Humor story to balance out my Angst/Action story. Anyway, I will quit ranting and get to the notes I left.

[1]- Diana Prince is the alias of Wonder Woman. I chose Wonder Woman because she posses the healing factor. She will not be very integral in this story…at least I don't think she will be.

[2]- Columbia University is in New York City, New York. I chose that college for two reasons: 1) It is highly ranked in medical schools and 2) I have always imagined Blüdhaven's location to be near water so I pretended Blüdhaven was Yonkers, New York. Yonkers is on the water and only thirty minutes from Columbia University.

[3]- Medical training is confusing. I did my best to understand what I could find. Apparently you graduate from college, complete a residency training, and, if you are planning on being a practitioner, complete a fellowship training.

[4]- Dr. Hol is Hawkwoman. (Her name is Shayera Hol.) She also possesses the healing factor. She will not be very important.

[5]- Miss Zorel is Supergirl. (Her name is Kara Zor-el.) She also possesses the healing factor. She will not be very important.

[6]- Dr. West is the Flash. (His name is Wally West.) He also possesses the healing factor. He may be important…I haven't decided yet.

[7]- Miss Gage-Radcliffe is Charlotte (or Charlie) Gage-Radcliffe. In DC Comics she is the heroine Misfit. I don't know much about her but she does possess the healing factor. She will not be very important.

[8]- Dr. Kelly is Nicholas Kelly. He is the superhero Argus. I do not know much about him but he does possess the healing factor. He will not be very important.

[9]- Dr. Jones is Martian Manhunter. (His human alias is John Jones.) He possesses the healing factor and is one of the most intelligent members of the Justice League. He may be important…I haven't decided yet.

[10]- Even though Martian Manhunter is usually portrayed as a tall, young Caucasian man, in _Smallville _and _Young Justice _he has been portrayed as an average height, middle-aged African-American man. I decided to go with this version of him since it is the most recent.

[11]- I am not sure if any of what Kori said is accurate. Frankly, I don't care. It sounds decent enough so I am just going to leave it like it is.

[12]- I chose Raven's hometown to be Blüdhaven because if she was from Gotham it would complicate my story sooooooooo much. I needed her in New York but not in Gotham so I decided Blüdhaven would have to do.

[13]- TSA is the security at airports.

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed! Constructive criticism appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, any of the other DC Comics characters mentioned, or Dunkin' Donuts.


	2. Chapter 2

"_If I were asked to give what I consider the most useful bit of advice for all humanity it would be this: Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and when it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye and say, 'I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.'" - Ann Landers_

Chapter 2

Detective Richard Grayson ran a hand through his longish black hair and closed his eyes in frustration. Just when he neared a break in the case, the man just vanished into thin air. Two years on the assignment and what did he have to show for it? Absolutely nothing. Glaring down at the now completely useless papers in front of him Richard pushed them all together in a sloppy pile and stuffed them in a drawer, not caring what happened as long as they were out of his sight. His mentor, Detective Bullock, would be so disappointed in him. Bullock gave him this case because he trusted him to complete it, put an end to all the madness, stop the serial killer that plagued Jump City…to stop Slade Wilson.

Throwing his head back and staring at the ceiling, Richard found himself contemplating Slade for the millionth time in two years. Slade Wilson was sixteen years old when he first joined the US Army. He lied about his age, hoping to escape what Richard deducted as a dysfunctional family life. Adeline Kane was a captain assigned to train him in the new techniques of guerilla warfare. The two fell in love, got married, and had two children: Grant and Joseph. After Grant had been born, Slade volunteered for a medical experiment conducted by the US Army to increase a soldier's resistance to truth serums. The experiment went wrong and Slade fell into a coma. Once awakened, Slade found he could use ninety percent of his brain's total capacity and his physical abilities bordered on near-superhuman levels. Hoping to use these new developments to the Army's advantage, Slade reenlisted…but they refused him. Needing something to do with his life and needing something to help him handle his depression, Slade become a safari hunter and a successful one at that. Little did anyone know, Slade was not only a safari hunter, but he was also one of the most feared assassins in the world. Slade was also Deathstroke the Terminator. Because of this secret and dangerous job, Joseph, the youngest of the Wilson children, was kidnapped by the Jackal, a man hired by Slade's own half-brother. After Joseph was taken, Slade and Adeline flew to his location in Tangiers, hoping to rescue their son. Once they arrived, Slade believed he could save his son's life before the order to kill Joseph was given. Slade tried to get to Joseph but his throat was cut by one of the Jackal's henchmen, rendering Joseph forever mute. Slade and Adeline rushed Joseph to the hospital. Once he was admitted, Adeline lashed out at her husband, furious at him for endangering their son. She attempted to kill him by shooting at him, but only managed to destroy his right eye. It was this event that changed Slade forever. Adeline demanded a divorce and left with their two children. The rest, as they say, is history. Slade became a diabolical strategist using the skills he acquired with the army to his advantage. Over the past twelve years, Slade Wilson has killed a total of twenty-three people. Five years ago he earned himself a top spot on the FBI's Most Wanted list. While he has killed people in multiple places, sixteen of the twenty-three people killed were killed in Jump City.

Richard rubbed roughly at his eyes. Every time they got a break in the case, something went wrong. Something always went wrong. Witnesses abruptly recanted their statements, evidence suddenly vanished, evidence was found to be tampered with, or they simply hit a brick wall. Getting a good hold on Slade Wilson was like getting a good hold on smoke.

A booming knock pulled Richard from his thoughts and he looked up to find the green eyes of his fellow detective and best friend, Roy Harper. Roy was leaning casually against the doorframe of Richard's office door with his arms across his chest and a smirk playing his lips. The smirk soon turned into a frown as he took in Richard's appearance. His usually neat black hair looked as though he had just gotten out of bed, his icy blue eyes were slightly bloodshot, his shirt had a recent coffee stain on it, and he was extremely tense. Roy sighed.

"C'mon, Rich, it's time to go," he said in an authoritative voice, knowing that if he wanted to get Richard's attention, he needed to be straight to the point and demanding.

"I only have a few more -" Richard began, only to be cut off by Roy.

"If you want to get to your house today, I suggest you get up now," Roy announced as he moved towards the desk Richard sat at. Richard stared at Roy for a minute before groaning and giving in. He stood up, a little to quickly, and felt a wave of vertigo come over him. Roy rolled his eyes grabbed Richard's arm, and proceeded to forcefully drag him out to Roy's car.

"You do this all the time. You work to the point of utter exhaustion. When was the last time you ate? Probably over twenty-four hours ago. I mean seriously, man, you cannot keep doing this to yourself," Roy lectured as he buckled himself into the driver's seat of his car while Richard buckled into the passenger's seat.

"Yes, Mom," Richard muttered. Roy briefly glared at him before putting the car in reverse and backing out of the Jump City Police Department's parking lot.

In Roy's black sports car, Richard and Roy sat eating McDonald's while waiting in front of The Early Start Academy. They sat in silence…that is until Richard broke it.

"Thanks, Roy," Richard said quietly, knowing Roy would get what he meant. Roy shrugged his shoulders and reached for his drink.

"No problem, Rich. You do worry me though. I mean, you went in at five this morning and last night you left at eleven. You probably only got four hours of sleep last night, didn't you?" Roy questioned perceptively.

"More or less," Richard answered vaguely, uncomfortable with the fact that Roy knew so much about him.

"Rich, you can't keep doing that. You're gonna get yourself killed one day if you keep this up. What would have happened if we got called out in the field today? You wouldn't have been up for it, but you would've gone anyway because you're stubborn as hell, and then you would have gotten killed," Roy paused, hesitant to say the next thing on his mind. "Slade isn't worth it." Richard visibly tensed. "I don't know when that's going to go through your thick skull, but you need to realize that. You'll never catch him if you slowly kill yourself in the process." The silence was present again and Roy knew Richard's next statement would change the subject. He could only pray that Richard would really think about what he said. The man needed to be reminded that his life wasn't just about catching Slade. There's so much more in his future.

"Thanks for the ride, too," Richard said randomly, and Roy smirked to himself.

"Again, no problem. Did Vic say when your car would be out of the shop?" Victor Stone was the best mechanic in the state of California and a very good friend to Richard and Roy. Victor could fix anything mechanical and make it better than it was when it was brand new.

"He said it should be ready by noon tomorrow at the earliest or evening tomorrow at the latest. Hopefully we can go pick it up on our lunch break," Richard replied. Suddenly, a loud bell sounded from The Early Start Academy. Richard smiled at Roy and the two got out of the car, waiting for the little girl that was so full of joy. Kids poured out of the building like it was on fire. Some ran towards the busses while others ran straight to their parents.

Richard felt eyes on him and looked over to find a group of woman staring at him and Roy while whispering among themselves. Keeping his eyes looking forward, Richard started talking.

"Roy, why are they staring?" he asked calmly. Roy glanced over at the group of woman and let out a small chuckle.

"Well, Richard, the reason woman usually stare at us is because we are two insanely hot men - me especially. So that's probably the main reason. The other reason is that we are two insanely hot men that came to a preschool to pick a child up together," Roy answered, trying not to laugh. Richard scoffed loudly.

"They do not think we're gay," he said as though he read minds. Roy did laugh this time.

"I bet they do! C'mon! We're are two men here to pick up a little girl that doesn't look like either of us…and she's Asian," Roy laughed again, only louder. "They probably think we're like that "Modern Family" gay couple, only a million times better looking," he countered. Richard rolled his eyes and Roy smiled even wider. "Hold my hand. Let's see how they react."

"I am not holding your hand," Richard stated matter-o-factly as he stared at Roy like the man had grown a third arm. Roy reached for Richard's closest hand and Richard swatted his hand away.

"C'mon, Rich, it'll be funny!"

"I am not holding your hand."

"Rich, please?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"Roy, you reach for my hand one more time, I swear…"

"Just for a second!"

"No!"

"But -" the two found their argument interrupted as a little girl with a bouncing black ponytail came running towards them. Roy grinned, his world already brighter. He got down on his knees and opened his arms wide.

"Daddy!" a young voice called out, excitedly. The owner of the young voice ran into Roy's arms, her arms going around his neck. Roy laughed with pure joy and picked his little girl up. He spun her around in a circle and she giggled wildly.

"Hi, Lian. How was school, sweetheart?" Roy asked, looking into his daughter's big brown eyes. She smiled and that smile was sweeter than pure sugar.

"It was good, Daddy! We got new jobs today and I'm line leader!" Lian exclaimed as though it was the greatest thing that could ever happen. The sound of someone clearing their throat went through the air and Lian looked towards the sound. She gasped and wiggled out of her father's grasp. He set her down on the ground and she ran to Richard in a similar fashion to the way she ran to her father. Her thin little arms went around Richard's neck and he picked her tiny four year old body up. "Uncle Richie!" she shouted.

"Hey, munchkin," he greeted warmly. Her brown eyes suddenly filled with confusion.

"Why are you picking me up, too, Uncle Richie?" she asked. Roy came over and pulled Lian out of Richard's arms. He opened the door to the backseat and helped Lian into her booster seat. He and Richard got into their respective seats and Roy began driving towards Richard's house.

"Uncle Richie came with me to pick you up because his car was broken," Roy answered his daughter.

"Oh," she said. A look of excitement took over her features. "Does that mean he's coming over to our house?" she asked, hopefully.

"No, Lian, I have to go home," Richard responded gently. Lian's bottom lip quivered a bit.

"But why?" she whined.

"Because your Uncle Richie needs to go to sleep," Roy interjected. Lian let out a little scoff.

"But, Daddy, I just got out of school! That means it's too early for someone to go to bed! The sun is still way up," she refuted, pointing to the ceiling as a motion to the sky. Both men just laughed. To go back to the days when life was so simple…

Richard waved good-bye as Roy's car drove out of sight. Reaching into his front right pocket, he pulled out a set of jangling keys and opened the front door of his house.

The house was somewhat large, but nothing over the top. No one would ever guess the son of billionaire Bruce Wayne lived here. The house was 2,000 square feet and looked like a California home. The entire outside was a beige color and appeared to be made of a textured stone. The roof was the kind that was often found on Spanish houses. It was made of ceramic tiles colored a brownish orange color and appeared in layered waves. Inside of the house was elegant and rather stylish. The house had a total of three rooms, two bathrooms, and porches. The garage, which does not factor into the square footage, was extremely large as it had to be big enough to attend to Richard's obsession with cars and motorcycles. It was neat and tidy with plenty of tools and lots of lighting. The living room, kitchen, and breakfast bar were all in one large area and took up a majority of the house. A large flat screen television took up most of the back wall. A black leather couch and black leather reclining chair sat in front of it along with a dark cherry wood coffee table. The kitchen was neat and organized, the only dirty dishes two bowls that were used for cereal. Everything in the kitchen was stainless steel, the cabinets were all white, and the countertops were a black granite. The breakfast bar was just on the left side of the kitchen and the countertop was made of the same black granite while four stainless steel seats were on the other side. The dining room was neat, but a bit dusty from no use, and filled with family antiques that were handed down through the generations. The table itself once belonged to Richard's great-great-great-great-great grandfather, who purchased it from a merchant as a young Gypsy boy. There were two bathrooms which were all simplistic. And finally, there were three bedrooms, all large and decorated nicely. The two guest bedrooms were all nice but without character as Richard found it rather pointless to make them fancy as they were rarely in use. His bedroom, however, was the main entrée of the entire house. It was huge, bigger than the living room and kitchen combined. There were two sections of the bedroom and they were separated by a thin Shoji screen. Walking through the door, you were greeted by his sleeping area. A king-sized bed was on the complete opposite side of the room. Its frame was real dark cherry wood, shined and polished to its finest. The comforter and pillows a dark brown, so dark they were almost black. They complimented the color of the walls which were an earthy tan, giving the room a peaceful nature. The flooring was dark hardwood which matched the bed frame beautifully. Two large dressers, made of the same cherry wood as the bed frame, sat directly across from bed. A large flat screen sat atop the dressers, giving Richard a perfect place to watch television from his bed. To the right of his bed was a large panoramic window. It overlooked Jump City and the view was breathtaking. Richard particularly loved the sunrises from this window. He would sit there with a cup of coffee and just watch the sun peek over the horizon and reach higher and higher into the sky. The other part of Richard's bedroom was a gym. Walking past the wall, you were introduced to a different side of Richard. This part was his determination and, frankly, obsessive attitude that fueled his job as a homicide detective. Weights ranging from ten pounds to one hundred pounds lay all across the gym in an organized manner. He would stack the weights together and sometimes lift six hundred pounds. There was a treadmill, elliptical, stair climber, stationary bicycle, and row machine along the back wall. Throughout the entire middle were a series of different machines that targeted specific areas of your body. There were several machines for biceps, triceps, forearms, quads, calves, hamstrings, abdominals, pictorials, trapeze, and yes, even the gluteus maximus.

Going into the kitchen, Richard stopped by the breakfast bar to check his voice messages and go through his mail. He briefly wondered why he still had a house phone, as they happened to be nearly obsolete thanks to cell phones, but nevertheless hit the button and listened as the messages went by. The first message was from Roy, complaining that he never answered his cell phone. The second message was from Alfred, his butler and grandfather-figure, who also gave him a lecture on the importance of answering a cell phone. Telemarketer, telemarketer, his banker, telemarketer. Those were the next couple messages. Just as Richard was beginning to think the rest of the messages were just as unimportant as the first six, a new message came on. The voice was that of a male, probably mid-forties, and he sounded irritated.

"_This is a message for Richard Jonathan Grayson. This is the Immigration Services. We are informing you that your visa has, in fact, expired. We are sorry that it had to occur like this, but we take immigration very seriously. You were given a warning three months ago on January 16, 2012. It is now April 20, 2012 and your opportunity to reapply has now passed. We will be sending one of our officers to your house in Jump City, California to ensure that you do leave on a plane for Italy. Our officer will be there in exactly four weeks. This should be enough time to get all of your belongings ready and your concerns handled. We will be checking up on you in these next four weeks. If you have any questions please call 1-877-777-7777." _

The message ended with a beep and a woman's robotic voice announcing that was the end of his voicemails. Richard stared blankly at nothing for several minutes, trying to make sense of what he just heard. _'Your visa has, in fact, expired,' 'given a warning three months ago,' 'that you do leave on a plane for Italy.' _He took in a deep breath, wishing himself not to panic, and quickly reached for his cell phone. He dialed the numbers without thinking. When someone answered though he was not happy.

"Jason, where's Bruce?" Richard asked, irritated that Jason of all people answered the phone in Bruce's private office.

"Well, nice to talk to you too, Dickie. I've been great, in case you're concerned," Jason's sarcastic reply came from the other end of the phone. Richard could just see what Jason looked like at the moment. He was probably sitting at Bruce's desk, his combat boot clad feet on top of the polished cedar, one hand behind his head, the other with a lit cigarette in hand, while the side of his face held the phone in place and a smug smile pulled at his lips.

"I don't have time for this, Jason. I need you to put Bruce on the phone now," Richard demanded. There was a pregnant pause before Jason spoke. His entire demeanor had changed at the tone of Richard's voice.

"What's going on, Rich?" he asked seriously. Richard sighed, knowing there was no way to get out of this one. Jason was one of the most stubborn people in existence.

"My visa expired," Richard stated, getting straight to the point.

"But why does that matter? Bruce adopted you and he's American," Jason said, sounding pleased that he had just fixed everything.

"Jason, Bruce never adopted me. I'm still just a ward," Richard said, his tone becoming steely. This was a touchy subject and had been since Richard found out he was never adopted while the rest of his brothers were.

"Right…what are you going to do?" Jason asked.

"I'm going to see what leverage Bruce can get. He may not be part of the government but his money may be able to buy me enough time to get all my papers turned in and approved," he explained.

"Man, you know Bruce is going to be pissed when he finds out. And his favorite type of punishment is when you learn a lesson and you sure as hell will learn a lesson if you have to go back to Italy," Jason warned. Richard groaned loudly.

"It won't be "going back to Italy." It will just be going to Italy. I was born in Italy because the circus was on an international tour when my mom was pregnant. And sadly neither one of my parents decided to get American citizenship. If I can't fix this I will be stuck living in a completely foreign country. So can you please put Bruce on the phone?" Richard begged, his stomach dropping more as time passed.

"Sorry, he's at some big-shot meeting. He won't be home for a couple more hours. You just need to chill out for a minute. Stop freaking out. You're going to figure this out." Suddenly Jason began chuckling. "You could just get married," he laughed louder, "after all, girls are always throwing themselves at you. You could always play Romeo, go get a girl, get married, and divorce her after you're cleared." The laughing continued, but Richard wasn't paying any attention. "Well, bro, I got a go. Got a hot date tonight. Think her name is Sheryl but I can't remember. You want her when I'm done? Pretty sure she's American," Jason joked.

"Goodnight, Jay," Richard said, ignoring his last comments. Jason laughed again.

"Night, Dickie." And with that the call ended.

But Richard wasn't done thinking. He sat down in one of his chairs, his mind racing. Get married? It wasn't that bad of an idea to be honest. He'd get to stay in the United States, Bruce would never have to know anything, and he would be a free man after he was cleared. Richard physically shook his head, as though it would get rid of the thoughts. Was he crazy? The government would see through a marriage like that in a millisecond. He could never pull it off. Or could he? He was a detective. Knowing how to find things meant to always be hidden makes you very good at hiding what you want to be hidden. And he was a natural born performer. He could act. Everything would look normal. He stood up from his chair and started rummaging through a stack of old paper work. He was pretty sure his visa application was somewhere in there.

Might as well start filling it out while he has the time.

AN: Well, this is late. Like really late. But I have a legit reason…I moved 700 hundred miles. And I'm currently in a depressed state because I am the only one in my family that didn't want to move. So I'm sorry for the tardiness, but it is the best I could do. I want to thank everyone that reviewed, favorited, and author alerted the first chapter. It means so much to me. Please no one get on me about the immigration stuff. I am a high school student. I did the best I could with this. It's a fanfic, not a published book.

I know the story seems predictable, and in a way it is, but I have a lot of twists planned for this story so please don't just put it off as your typical romantic story. I have a lot of surprises!

Jayenator2.0: Thank you! Hopefully you like the second just as much!

13robslittlerae13: lol that's cool! Thanks!

Silently Watching: Thank you for the advice but I am just a high school student. I know nothing about the medical business and do my best to avoid it as it freaks me out. I'll try to take what you said in mind but, frankly, their jobs are not too important to the story itself.

I'm so hollow: Awww thanks so much! You just read about Robin lol but they meet very soon (hint hint) and the others will come in probably at their own times, but probably pretty soon as well!

Sunshine-Midnight123: Yay! I'm glad you like long chapter because I tend to make them pretty long (I like lots of information). Thank you so much! The main characters ages are - Raven is 25 and Richard is 26. If you want characters like Kori and Roy too (Victor, Gar, etc.) and can give you their ages as well.

Giggles: Thank you so much! That means the world to me! I'm not sure how this goal of finishing it in a year is going to work out but I'm not going to give up! Oh my gosh, you just might have to repeatedly urge me to update! Lol

Thank you to everyone and I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well! Chapter 3 and 4 are in the works as I type this!


	3. Chapter 3

"_The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both are transformed." - Carl Gustav Jung _

Chapter 3

Groaning loudly, Raven tossed off her comforter and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She yelped as her legs hit a wooden nightstand instead of the floor and cursed herself for not yet adjusting to her apartment. She stood up and gained her footing before slowly padding her way to her bathroom. As the lights flickered on, Raven squinted her amethyst eyes and bent town to retrieve a towel from under the sink for her shower. As she stood back up she caught sight of herself in the mirror and, uncharacteristically, nearly shrieked at her appearance. She had looked bad, especially during college and the nights she would stay up for two days straight to study for exams, but this was just ridiculous. Dark rings circled her eyes. They weren't your typical dark circles of slight discoloration, either. They were a dark purple. They were almost so dark it appeared she had two black eyes or that her eyes were sunk far back in her skull.

She knew it was because she was restless last night. Despite her usually cold and collected exterior, she did get nervous and today was her first official day of work. She tried going to bed early. At 10:00 P.M. she turned off all the lights and laid down. But after an hour of tossing and turning she gave up. If she was going to be awake she might as well do something productive. So at eleven she got up and began unpacking a few of the boxes she had left. By the time she finished unpacking four boxes (two boxes of books, one box of clothes, and one box of medical school supplies) it was 1:30 A.M. She tried to go back to bed but found she was still too restless. So here she was at 4:30, up, tired, and hoping she somehow made it through the day.

As Raven stepped out of the shower and went through the basic morning routine, she contemplated how today was going to go. Work didn't start until one this afternoon. Maybe she could go explore a bit. Or check out that café just a block away. _'Yes,' _she decided. _'That's what I'll do. Bring a good book and drink a cup of tea…or five cups of tea,' _she thought to herself.

She walked over to her dresser and reached for a pair of yoga pants and baggy t-shirt when she stopped herself. She didn't care what people thought of her…well that wasn't true. She did care, she just didn't want to admit it. But being new in town and a doctor, someone highly respected, she supposed looking presentable was the least she could do. Reputation was a big deal [1].

Summers in California were much hotter than the summers in New York that Raven was used to. She chose an outfit accordingly and looked over herself in the full length mirror on the back of her closet door. She wore a pair of dark denim Capri pants held by a black belt that kept them tight on her hips, a tight purple thin-strapped tank top, a black cutoff jacket (because mornings could be rather chilly), and simple black flats. Her black hair was left down, falling in soft waves just passed the top of her shoulders [2]. She didn't like makeup, as it made her face feel clammy, but, due to her terrible dark circles, she did apply cover-up, a thin line of eyeliner on her top lid, and some mascara. Deeming herself presentable, she grabbed her keys, her wallet, and book and began walking to the café.

Raven had read reviews on this café before she moved to Jump City. All the reviews praised the owners, a local couple, and everything they made. It was a cute café. Simplistic but elegant, and obviously taken care of. She could only hope it lived up to her expectations.

She pushed open the door and a little bell jingled, signaling a new customer. Inside, the café was entirely empty but a delicious aroma was flowing out from the kitchen. Assuming someone had to be there, Raven walked up to the counter and peered over the menu. She stuck solely on the teas, as she never understood how people could drink coffee, and was shocked at the long list they had. Chai teas, chamomile teas, spice teas, fruit teas, caffeine-free teas, green teas, breakfast teas, Earl Grey teas, tea lattes, Chinese teas, Japanese teas, and so many more [3]. Just as she had decided to stick with something familiar, English breakfast tea, an older woman of about sixty years came out from the kitchen, a kind smile on her face and an apron covered in white flour.

"Good morning," the said cheerfully. "Welcome to _In Good Taste _[4]. I was so busy baking in the kitchen I didn't even hear the bell ring. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, dear." Raven offered the woman a small smile.

"No, I wasn't here long at all. You actually gave me plenty of time to decide what I want. You have quite an extensive menu," Raven said, looking once again at the menu that took up the entire area about the countertop. The woman laughed good naturedly.

"Oh, yes, my husband wanted to give the best to Jump City so one day he looked at me and said, 'Sherry, I want everyone to have the best. And the best thing for them to have is everything!'" she laughed again at the memory. "So now our menu nearly takes up more room than the whole café itself!" She took Raven's order and immediately began making it. "Now, dear, I don't believe we've met. I'm Sherry Trumark," Sherry said with a smile.

"I'm Raven Roth. I just moved here Friday from Blüdhaven, New York," Raven said. Normally she wouldn't give away any information about herself if she could avoid it, but this woman seemed very kind. Very grandmotherly.

"You must be the new doctor!" Sherry [5] exclaimed, as though it suddenly came to her. Raven was taken aback for a moment. The only people that knew she was here and why she was here were her mother, father, close friends in Blüdhaven, and of course a few people at the hospital. Sherry must have seen the look on her face and jumped in to reassure her. "My husband is currently in the hospital. Kidney transplant. Our doctor, Dr. Prince, mentioned they had hired a new, very young doctor. She had great things to say about you." Raven was relieved at the explanation. For a moment she thought everyone in Jump City knew of her arrival.

"Is your husband alright?" Raven asked, the doctor in her curious and part of her just concerned.

"Bill is just fine. He's tough as a horse. He's had kidney problems for years. We finally decided enough was enough," she said as she stirred sugar into the cup of tea. "We got him on a waiting list for a replacement. There was no immediate hurry but somehow they found a perfect match very quickly. Right now he's just itching to get out of there and get back to work." She poured in the cream and stirred it in before handing the cup to Raven. Raven paid Sherry, plus a good tip, when she heard a jingle, indicating there was a new customer. She looked at the kind woman's face.

"Well, thank you for the tea. If I get the chance today I'll go check on Mr. Trumark to make sure he's doing alright," Raven said. Sherry's face softened.

"He would like that. Loves meeting new people and he would definitely love to meet a sweetheart, such as yourself," she praised. Raven offered Sherry a real smile, a rarity to anyone who had ever met Raven.

"Thank you, Mrs. Trumark," Raven said quickly, moving to find a seat so the woman behind her could order.

"Anytime, dear. It's been wonderful meeting you. You come back soon. And call me Sherry," Sherry called to her. Raven found a small table for two by the back wall and sat down at it. She pulled out her book. The move had taken so much time that she hadn't read in weeks. She opened the book to page 207, where she last left off, and took a sip of her tea. It was really good. Raven sat there for a moment and pondered. She had a book in her hands, a cup of great tea beside her, and a job she knew she would love. Maybe things would finally start to settle down.

Only forty-five minutes had passed since Raven walked into the café and she was shocked at how busy it was. Who knew so many people actually got up in time to go to a café before work? Obviously many people did as the café was beginning to run out of chairs. Men and women, all dressed in business attire, were sitting around, drinking coffees and teas while reading newspapers or working on laptops.

Raven was already on page 284 of her book. Only two hundred more pages and she would have it complete. The book was helping her take her mind off work. Raven groaned internally. She hadn't even had one day of work and it was already stressing her out. _'I need to take up meditation again,' _Raven thought.

The door let out another jingle. Raven paid no mind, as she was right into the main conflict, until she heard Sherry let out a squeal. She turned her head to watch the older woman run forward and embrace the customer.

The customer was male, about 5-foot-10 or 5-foot-11. Raven couldn't see his face, as he was facing Sherry who, but she could see his outfit and build. He wore a plain white T-shirt, faded blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. He was built like a swimmer- tall, broad shouldered, extremely muscled, toned, and lean. Raven tried to, subtly I might add, watch the interaction between Sherry and the man that walked in. Sherry looked very happy to see him and he carried on the conversation. Raven watched a moment longer before turning back to her book. She had to know if they figured it out yet, as she was almost positive who killed Poshka.

Richard hopped out of his newly fixed car, courtesy of Victor, and walked up to the little café. He hadn't been here for a while. Slade had kept him busy at work. But he needed coffee badly and he'd been so busy with trying to fill out his visa files that he hadn't even been to the grocery store in a week.

He desperately tried to stop thinking about Slade and his visa but he couldn't. Both were driving him insane. Slade, a rampant serial killer, was out on the loose and he was Richard's responsibility to apprehend him. He can't apprehend him, however, if he doesn't know where to find him and that is the current stage Richard is in. All clues lead to nothing but a dead end and he ends up going back to square number one. His visa was expired and there was absolutely no way he was going to fill out his visa application in time. And even if he did, they probably wouldn't take it. It was three months late already. So here he was with a serial killer out-and-about and soon to be deported into Italy.

He pushed open the door of the café and it let out a little jingle. It was packed today. Nearly every table was full of people in business attire. He started to walk over to the counter but Sherry spotted him before he even made it over there. She ran from behind the counter and over to him, embracing him in a grandmotherly hug.

"Richard, sweetheart, how are you? I haven't seen you in days!" she exclaimed, looking thrilled to see him. She's always like this with everyone. He smiled at her.

"I'm great, Sherry. I've been busy! A lot of new cases, but crime never sleeps. How are you? I heard Bill was in the hospital. How's he?" Richard asked.

"I'm just fine and Bill is, too. We're tough as nails. Bill's surgery went great and he should be back home in a day or two," Sherry said, moving back behind the counter to get Richard his coffee. She spotted Raven sitting over at a small table. "Speaking of the hospital," she mentioned as she poured the coffee in a mug, "have you heard about their new doctor?"

"No, I haven't. I didn't even know Jump City Hospital was hiring," Richard said, resting his arm against the counter.

"Don't you remember? Dr. Kane [6] moved back to New York. Her sister died so her niece, Bette, had to move in with her and Dr. Kane didn't want the poor girl to have to switch schools so she transferred back to Gotham. Anyway, they needed a new doctor in the E.R. and they finally got one," Sherry explained. "You should meet her. Pretty young thing," she said, pointing over to where Raven sat. Richard turned to look but Sherry slapped his arm. "Well don't just turn and stare," she chided him. "She's at the third table from the back, all the way at the back wall. Go over there, see what you think. Offer to show her around town," Sherry suggested. Richard opened his mouth to argue. This was the last thing he needed at the moment. He had bigger things, like figuring out how to stay in America, the only country he'd ever known, to worry about. Sherry had been trying to set him up on dates since he moved to Jump City three years ago. He felt a warm mug shoved into his hands as Sherry pushed him in the direction of the table. "Go!" she demanded, a smile on her face. Richard sighed reluctantly and walked over, looking for a "pretty young thing" sitting by herself.

As Richard weaved through the labyrinth of tables, Sherry watched with a hopeful gaze. This could be the one.

Richard walked past the second to last column of tables when he saw her. She was sitting by herself, her back to the window. Her right leg was crossed over her left and she held her head up with her left hand. Her book, a rather thick tome, lay flat on the table and her right hand was pulling at the corner of the right page, ready to flip it. He couldn't see her face, as she was looking down at her novel, but he could see her long, black eyelashes, her dark eyebrows, the apples of her cheeks, and the elegant curve of her nose. Wavy black hair fell around her face gently. _'Well,'_ he thought, _'if anything, this is by far the most beautiful girl Sherry has ever tried to set me up with.' _He thought back to the time when pretty, naïve Kori Anders [7] was new in town and Sherry tried to play matchmaker with them. It seemed to have potential at first, but after a few times of going out they both decided a friendship would be best as they just were not very compatible. Kori was pretty, but this girl was something else.

He approached her table cautiously, looking back once at Sherry who pretended not to be paying attention. _'Be nice, welcome her to town, and offer to show her around,' _he told himself. _'That's all you have to do.' _He cleared his throat, loud enough to be heard over the people but not obnoxious, and she looked up. His breath hitched in his throat. She had the most peculiar eye color. Was it dark blue or was it actually purple? Either way, they were beautiful. Round, hooded, mysterious, and framed by long, dark, thick eyelashes.

He flashed her a smile and offered out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Richard Grayson," he greeted. She looked at him hesitantly for a moment and seemed to look over his shoulder before she came back to reality. She didn't smile, but she extended her hand, a beautiful, tiny, feminine hand, and grasped his own hand.

"Hello," she started, her voice monotonic, yet dark and smooth, just how he liked his coffee. "I'm Raven Roth."

Raven was on page 321. Just another hundred pages or so and she would be finished. Her hand was tugging at the bottom corner of the right-hand page, itching to turn it and continue her story. She was on the last paragraph when she heard him clear his throat. She finished the sentence she was on before she looked up. When she did, amethyst met blue topaz. She recognized him, by what he was wearing, as the man Sherry looked so excited to see. He was handsome, there was no doubt, but she had learned not to trust any man, no matter how much his blue eyes made her melt. Her mind flashed to Malcolm [8] and she shook the thought away. No thinking of him. Jump City was a new start for _everything. _

The man in front of her was tall with messy black hair, stunning blue eyes, tan skin, a killer smile, and boyishly charming features. He stuck out a callused hand.

"Hi, I'm Richard Grayson," he said. His voice was charming. Not sure of the situation, Raven tried to subtly look over his shoulder to Sherry. As she made eye contact, Sherry merely smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Assuming that this guy must be semi-decent, Raven brought herself back to reality. She extended her own hand, and clasped his. A smile refused to grace her lips, but her voice was not unkind when she introduced herself.

"Hello," she greeted, staying on her guard. "I'm Raven Roth."

AN: Hello, readers! Well, this chapter is out a little later than I had hoped, but not so late that I'm ashamed. I just finished finals last week and summer is finally here which means….wait for it…more time to write! I'm really hoping that this story can now progress at a much faster rate.

Sorry this chapter is shorter than the others. I was planning on this chapter being all of this plus their conversation, but I decided that I wanted the focus to be on their conversation and with all of this stuff, it would be harder to keep the focus on just that.

This story is going to be a bit longer than originally planned. That's okay though. Certain chapters, like this one, are just going to be filler chapters to keep things going smoothly.

This chapter is dedicated to Smiles-X-Giggles because she has been a great help with this story!

[1] - I always thought Raven secretly cared what people thought of her. She would never admit it (hence the word secretly) but I think it did matter to her. Being a doctor, I think your reputation would obviously be huge and anything, such as what you wear, can make people think of you differently.

[2] - I didn't want her hair to be too different, but at the same time, since this is an AU, I wanted it slightly different. It couldn't be violet as no hospital would ever hire her and I wanted a more modern style that was still…her.

[3] - Just googled a bunch of different teas.

[4] - Made up name. It probably sucks but honestly, the name isn't that important.

[5] - Sherry and Bill will probably be the only two O.C.s that will appear more than once. I felt like someone needed to get them to meet each other, as I don't see either one just walking up to a stranger and introducing themselves.

[6] - Dr. Kane and her niece, Bette, are Kathy Kane (Batwoman) and Bette Kane (Flamebird). I just needed a character to leave Jump City for a specific reason so I did this. I don't know if it's accurate and I don't care. This is the only time it will be mentioned.

[7] - I wanted to show a slight look on the Richard/Kori relationship. They know each other and they did date briefly but it was a mutual breakup. Not compatible.

[8] - Malcolm is the name for Malchior. Ex-boyfriend of Raven. Broke her heart. He will not be making an appearance in this story. I wanted to show why she might be slightly hesitant of any new relationship with a man.

Smiles-X-Giggles: Slade will forever be the only person who could drive Richard insane. Stupid man. I personally love the Richard/Roy relationship and I feel like it is never given anything in the Teen Titans universe because of how Speedy is in the cartoon (as a Robin clone). I love those two! I'm still in almost tears as to how DC treated Lian. They've done some stupid stuff but that was one of the worst things done in comic history! Glad you liked the house! I did a lot of research on houses out in California so I hope is was okay. LOL yes, Raven's reaction to Richard's butt workouts! That would be funny! Richard not being an American sort of always fit to me. I felt like, an international traveling circus would have people from everywhere! For all we know, his mom was from France and his dad from Poland! You never know! Thanks so much!

DemolitionLvr: I appreciate the advice and usually I would call him Dick but the name Richard has so many versions and, frankly, I like all of them. Yes, I will not call him Dick as often. Not because I'm immature, but because it's an old name. This story and these characters are set in present times. I know Nightwing/Robin/Dick is an older character and I appreciate how old his character really is, but I'm setting this story in today's times and he will be called everything. Richard, Dick, Dickie, Rick, Ricky, Rich, Richie, etc. Thanks for the review and glad you're enjoying the story overall!

13BrokenHearted13: Aww thanks so much! I appreciate the sympathy! Glad you like the writing style and I hope you like this chapter just as much! Sorry it's a little shorter but don't worry! Most chapters will be 6 to 10 pages or so!

Whatever Way the Wind Blows: Thanks so much! I will definitely be updating more often!

Thank you everyone who is favoriting, author alerting, and reviewing! It really means a lot to me and I will now be updating more frequently now that it's summer!

AN: I also edited Chapter Two a bit and added the footnotes I forgot!


	4. Chapter 4

"_A conversation goes sometimes into personal things and that's nicer. You look to each other and you have a different picture; you get into a relationship." - Maximilian Schell_

Chapter 4

Their hands broke and fell to their sides. Raven eyed him warily, but Richard just smiled charmingly[1]. He motioned to the seat across from her.

"Mind if I sit down?" he questioned, humored by her expression. She gestured to the chair and he smiled again, graciously. He pulled the chair out and it made a slight screech across the floor. Richard sat down as Raven placed her book on the table, mentally logging in her head what page she ended on. She continued to look at him with caution. His smile only grew as he began a conversation. "Sherry tells me you're the new doc in town." he said, his eyes flicking to where Sherry stood at the counter. Happy the conversation didn't start with a cheesy pickup line or anything overly personal, Raven felt it was fine to take part in the exchange…for now. She let out an amused sigh.

"She assured me she was one of the few who knew, but if she tells every person who walks in here, the whole town will know by the end of the day," Raven said. Richard laughed good-naturedly at her response.

"Want me to speed up the process? I know the guy who runs the newspaper and I can get a story on you done and passed through the town by five tonight," he joked. Raven smiled. Not a big smile, but a small upturn at the corners of her mouth. The action drew Richard's attention to her lips. In his initial observation, he had missed how full and dark they were. They seemed to be naturally redder than the typical pinkish hue of most. He shook his head slightly, willing the thoughts away[2]. This was not the time. "So, Doctor, where are you from?"

"Blüdhaven[3]," she answered simply, knowing that the state was not necessary. Everyone knew where Blüdhaven was as it made the national news about weekly due to it's crime-ridden streets.

"What a coincidence," Richard chuckled, "I'm from Gotham myself." Raven's expression became sympathetic.

"I'm sorry," she said, sounding sincere, but laughter was swirling in her eyes.

"Hey! I do not appreciate your mockery!" Richard accused, his smile still ever growing. "It's not like Blüdhaven is much better anyway," he shot back.

"No, but we only make the national news weekly. You all seem to be on every time I turn on my television," she stated bluntly. "So, Mr. Grayson, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" she asked, the caution coming back full force[4]. She found she was enjoying their conversation too much and, frankly, that was not okay with her. She did not have conversations with random strangers, let alone conversations she enjoyed.

"Call me Richard," he stated, his smile still plastered on his face as he shrugged. "Sherry mentioned something about you so I wanted to be one of the first to introduce myself and offer you a tour of the city." Raven raised an eyebrow. "Jump may not be as dangerous as Gotham or Blüdhaven, but it still isn't the safest place in the world. I'm on the police force so I can help you steer clear of the more hazardous areas in town," he explained. He could see her visibly tense and immediately knew what she was thinking. "I'm not like the cops where you're from, trust me. They're the reason I left Gotham to pursue criminal justice somewhere completely different," he assured her, knowing that every cop in Gotham and Blüdhaven was crooked in some way. Cops were the last people you called if something went wrong in those cities[5]. "I'm not technically a cop anyway. I'm a detective in the homicide department." Raven made a 'hnn' noise in the back of her throat.

"A homicide detective? No offense intended to you, but I surely hope we do not see much of each other through work," Raven said, crossing her arms over her chest. Richard's smile suddenly turned smug, though she could see the light-heartedness in his ice-blue eyes.

"So you wouldn't mind seeing much of me, as long as it's not through work? Well, I'm glad you enjoy my companionship," he said. Raven's face remained neutral, but she was betrayed by light blush that dusted her cheeks.

"Companionship?" she asked, incredulously. "I only met you a mere five minutes ago. I hardly count that as enough time to form any type of relationship, let alone a relationship as profound as companionship." Richard laughed again.

"Alright, were not companions. More along the lines of acquaintances then," he tried again. She gave a nod of approval. As she nodded, Richard's work buzzer began vibrating, beeping, and flashing a tiny red light.

"You know," Raven started saying to no one in particular, "it isn't exactly comforting seeing a homicide detective's pager go off." Richard grabbed the pager, getting it to stop, and stood up from his chair.

"Welcome, again, to Jump City," he said, all the teasing gone from his voice. "I do hope we'll see a lot of each other…hopefully not through work, but if you become a regular here at the café, which I can guarantee since Bill and Sherry have the best teas and coffees in the city, we will be seeing one another quite often," he smirked. "Maybe we can work on getting that whole acquaintance thing to companionship."

Raven was quiet for a moment before she responded, her voice low and controlled. "Yes, maybe we can," she stated simply. Richard turned to leave, but stopped as she called his name. "You still owe me a tour of the city."

He twisted to face her. "When are you free?" he asked and Raven could tell he was trying to disguise something in his voice. What that was, however, she didn't know.

"Anytime before one any day of the week" came the short answer. Richard smiled.

"How does Wednesday sound? We can meet here at the café, if you like," he suggested. Raven smiled and he could tell this was the first real smile he had seen on her, as it nearly took his breath away.

"That sounds fine," Raven agreed. Richard gave her one more charming smile before turning to leave.

xxxxx

As Richard was leaving he saw Sherry staring him down. He returned her stare and she motioned her hand as if asking, _'So?'_

Richard flashed her a brilliant smile and slightly shrugged his shoulders. He opened the door of the café and ventured to his car.

'_Well,' _he thought, _'that was certainly different.' _He pressed the button to unlock his car and slipped in to the driver's seat. _'What have I gotten myself into?' _ He thought about his conversation with Raven. She was intelligent, witty, reserved, wise, and very beautiful. _'I am completely taken by this woman after a ten minute conversation. I've gone soft,' _he concluded[6].

His cell phone rang, bringing him out of his thoughts and back to the real world. He suddenly remembered that he had a job and was about to be deported. He flipped open the cell phone.

"Grayson here."

xxxxx

Raven watched Richard leave the café and slumped back into her chair. _'What have I gotten myself into?' _she thought. _'And since when did I agree to let total strangers give me tours. He could be a mass murderer, posing as detective to make me less suspicious, planning my brutal death…okay, probably not, but nevertheless, this isn't me.' _

She looked up at the clock on the wall. 7:00. She still had six hours before work started. _'What can I do for six hours? I could finish unpacking, I suppose.'_

Raven stood up from her seat and walked over to Sherry. She wanted to thank her again and tell her how wonderful the tea was. Sherry saw her approaching and smiled kindly.

"Raven, dear, how was your tea?" she asked.

"It was very good. The best I've had," Raven said truthfully, knowing that this café will be her haven thanks to its owners, atmosphere, and tea.

Sherry smiled. "Well thank you," she said, humbly. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but quickly decided against it. "Have a good day, dear, and please come back soon. And have a wonderful first day of work," Sherry settled on. Raven thanked Sherry again and assured her that she would be back tomorrow. As Raven started to leave, she called to Sherry in a quiet voice.

"Richard is giving me a tour of the city Wednesday," and with that she was gone. Sherry could hardly contain herself as she went back to work[7].

xxxxx

Richard and Roy simultaneously sat down on the bench in the locker room. They were the last two people in the JCPD building as they, as the official homicide detectives, got stuck with all the paperwork. The case, in the end, wasn't as complicated as originally thought. When Richard and Roy first received notification of the murders, they thought it was connected to the drug ring going on in the poorer areas of Jump City and were dreading dealing with all the guys in the narcotics department. However, after much investigation and stakeouts, they discovered the murders were simply the doing of an overly jealous boyfriend who was not happy that the three men had been hitting on his girl at the bar. So after a minor gun hold up, the case was closed and Richard and Roy were finally free to go home.

Roy was unbuttoning his work shirt when he noticed how distant Richard looked. He was just going through the motions, hardly paying any attention to what he was doing.

"Rich, you okay?" Roy asked. Richard physically jolted out of his dazed state and tried his most reassuring smile. Roy saw right through it, however, and narrowed his eyes, demanding the truth. Richard sighed.

"I'm fine, Roy. Just tired. The whole case today, no sleep last night, the Slade assignment, this girl I met this morning, and Alfred wanting me to visit Gotham has me all stressed out," he admitted, purposefully skipping over the fact that he faced deportation. Despite this long list, Roy only heard one thing.

"Wait- did you say a girl you met this morning[8]?" Roy leered and Richard nearly smacked himself on the forehead.

"Yeah, at the café," Richard affirmed, suddenly changing much faster than he previously was. Roy smirked.

"Uh-huh. So what happened?" Roy pressed. Richard glared at the redhead. When it came to his personal relationships, Roy was worse than any woman with the gossip.

"I walked in and Sherry told me there was a new doctor in town. Told me to go over there, introduce myself, offer a tour of the town, stuff like that ya' know," Richard explained.

"So she's the new doctor in town…who's she replacing?" Roy questioned, mentally going through the doctors he new at the Jump City Hospital.

"Dr. Kane," Richard answered, hoping that the subject would drop. When it came to Roy Harper though, that was unlikely.

"What's the new doc's name? And is she smoking hot? 'Cause I don't think she would be on your mind through an entire case if she wasn't," Roy grinned.

"Her name is Raven Roth. She's smart and sharper than a serpent's tooth. Definitely a force to be reckoned with," Richard answered, skirting around the second question as he packed up his bag.

"And you'll love the challenge[9]," Roy said as Richard stood up to leave. "Did she agree to let you give her a tour?"

Yep," Richard started as he began walking toward the exit. As he reached the threshold to the men's locker room he stopped and stood there for a moment. "She was gorgeous," he said and then he was gone.

It was at that moment Roy, Richard's longtime best friend, knew that Richard was already in love and didn't even realize it. Roy snorted. As thick as he was, he probably never would either[10].

xxxxx

It was nine o'clock that evening and Raven let out a sigh of relief. She was sitting in her office after her first day of work and it couldn't have gone better. The emergency room wasn't too busy, but it was busy enough to where she did have to work. Between the entire staff on duty, they had people in and out of the hospital in a great amount of time, each patient fixed or on their way to being fixed of whatever their problem happened to be. The worst one was a victim of a car crash. Raven handled that personally. By the time she was done patching up the poor boy, he only needed a couple weeks of rest before he'd be back on his feet. Raven had prided herself at the impressed look in Dr. Jones' eyes.

As Raven began putting papers in her briefcase she heard a knock on her office door. She looked up to meet the emerald eyes of Kori Anders.

"Hi, Kori," Raven greeted, signifying that the girl could come into her office. Kori walked in and stood in front of Raven's desk.

"Hello, Raven, I was merely wondering how your first day went?" Kori asked kindly.

"It went very well, thank you, Kori," Raven answered, secretly in awe of how nice this one human being could be. Kori smiled, one that reached ear to ear, and clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Oh, I am most pleased!" she shrieked before her expression became shy. "Raven? I was also wondering…" Kori trailed off.

"Yes?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow for the girl to continue.

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to have the party of slumber at my apartment?" Kori questioned timidly. The awkwardness of Kori saying the 'party of slumber' made Raven do a mental note to ask Kori where exactly she was from[11].

At the mention of a slumber party, Raven shuddered and began thinking of ways to gently break it to the girl. But at the hopeful shine in Kori's eyes and the slight pout the girl's lips had taken, Raven found herself unable to say no. After all, Kori had been nothing but completely welcoming and kind since she arrived. She let out a defeated sigh.

"Sure, Kori, I'd love to," she lied. Kori squealed and ran behind the desk to pull Raven in a bear hug. "This will be so much fun! We can give each other makeovers, watch movies, eat ice cream, braid each other's hair, have pillow fights…" Kori continued on and on. In the meantime, Raven was suffocating as Kori had quite the grip on her.

"Kori," Raven choked out. "Oxygen." Kori looked down a the girl who was suddenly turning blue and let go immediately. Raven started heaving heavily, trying to get her breath back as Kori rubbed the back of her own head sheepishly.

"I am terribly sorry, Raven. I sometimes forget how to control my strength," Kori said and Raven made another mental note to get Kori's workout schedule.

"It is fine, Kori," Raven assured the girl. "When would you like to have this…slumber party," Raven gagged.

"How is Wednesday?" Kori offered, wanting to do the hanging out with Raven as soon as possible. Raven began to agree, anything to get out of this room, but suddenly remember something.

"I'm sorry, Kori, I can't Wednesday. I'm supposed to get a tour of the town," Raven recalled.

"That is fine. How is Friday instead? That way we do not have to worry about work the next day," Kori suggested again.

"That sounds perfect," Raven said, standing up to leave.

"Who is giving you a tour of our beloved town?" Kori asked, wanting to know every person Raven had met since she arrived. '_Maybe it is one of my own friends! Then all of us could do the hanging out together!'_

"A detective. I believe he said his name was Richard," Raven said. Kori cocked her head.

"Richard Grayson?" she questioned. Raven nodded.

"Do you know him?" Raven asked again. The more information she had before letting herself be alone with him the better.

"Yes, we dated," Kori said with a smile. Raven felt her stomach drop.

"Oh, Kori, I'm sorry. I didn't know," Raven started, feeling guilty. Kori slightly cocked her head again, a look of confusion on her innocent face.

"Why are you apologizing?" she asked. Suddenly it dawned on her and Kori laughed. "Oh, you believe it would bring up bitter feelings. No, I am not upset! Richard and I ended our very brief relationship unanimously. There are no hard feelings between us. We still talk regularly," Kori swore. Raven breathed another sigh of relief and began her journey to the door[12].

"Goodnight, Kori. And thank you for your kindness," Raven said softly.

"Goodnight, Raven," Kori spoke. "You are most welcome." With that Raven exited the door. But not before hearing Kori call after her in an excited squeal. "You and Richard would be most adorable together[13]!"

Raven walked faster.

xxxxx

AN: Hello, everyone! I'm sorry this chapter is a little late! Raven refused to speak throughout the entire thing. Every time I would write something it seemed as though Richard was the only one talking and Raven was out of character. Anyway, now that they met, things should get a little easier to write from here! So look forward to chapter five soon!

I'm going to begin replying to reviews individually instead of in my author's note.

But I do want to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, author alerted, etc., me and this story. It really means the world to me!

If anyone sees any grammar mistakes (misspelled words, incorrect verb tense, etc) please tell me!

[1]- Despite his cartoon counterpart's one-woman behavior, Richard Grayson is a serial flirt. He knows how to flirt, he knows he is good looking, and takes full advantage of this.

[2]- I believe in lust at first sight. And I can see Richard lusting much faster than Raven would.

[3]- Blüdhaven is a town in New York that rivals Gotham with it's crime.

[4]- Raven is very paranoid, especially with people she doesn't know. Caution would be a very prominent trait with her.

[5]- Gotham and Blüdhaven both have corrupt police forces. There are exceptions, like Commissioner Gordon in Gotham, but in general you don't trust cops there.

[6]- Richard seems like the type to fall quickly and end it quickly. So he is much more aware of his attraction to Raven. It scares him, however, that this attraction is to her personality and mind, not just her body.

[7]- Raven, though she has no powers here, is good at reading people. She would be able to see that Sherry wanted to ask her about Richard but changed her mind for Raven's sake.

[8]- Roy is more of a womanizer than Richard. Richard has been so caught up with work he really had avoided relationships, even one night stands, for about three years to focus on the Slade case. Roy would definitely notice.

[9]- Richard's a detective, adrenaline junky, and former acrobat. He loves challenges.

[10]- Roy is in fact the first person to realize how serious this situation is long before it even occurs. Part of that is because he is Richard's longtime best friend and the other is simply because the same thing happened to him. That will be explained later.

[11]- Kori will be a foreigner. Any suggestions as to where she should be from?

[12]- Kori and Richard's relationship will be explained in greater depth later but they did end it mutually and there are absolutely no hard feelings. They both just want the other to be happy.

[13]- Kori would automatically place Richard and Raven next to each other in her head, realize the similarities and how "cute" they were together. It's just a Kori thing.

Thank you everyone again! Any suggestions, feedback, etc, is greatly appreciated!


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